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Proposition 1 would increase Travis County property taxes to help fund a new UT medical school and teaching hospital. The proposition will appear on the Nov. 6 ballot and recently received support from more than 400 Austin-area doctors. In a recent editorial, we argued a new medical school would be a boon to Austin, creating jobs and bringing the advantages other Texas cities with medical schools have (Houston, Tyler, Dallas, Galveston and San Antonio).

While Austin enjoys a robust health care infrastructure, the city and UT students will still benefit from the development of a leading medical school and associated research hospital. The school will not only increase access to health care for residents of Central Texas who travel to Austin for advanced medical treatment, but will also replace the aging and overtaxed facilities at University Medical Center – Brackenridge.

Additionally, among the fifteen highest-ranked universities in the country, UT Austin is one of only four without an associated medical school in the same city. The addition of such a facility would build on the university’s existing relationship with the Dell Pediatric Research Institute, and would serve to strengthen UT’s already highly ranked nursing, pharmacy, biology and education programs. So we support Proposition 1.